Burning Sands

Suffering under the Curse of the Sun, the survivors of the Godswar have created a resilient, contradictory, and complex society. With unique technologies that take advantage of the never moving sun, the craftspeople of Burning Sands make the Sphere standout.

Regions

Barbarian Canyons

Far to the north, across the Shifting Sea is another sanctuary from the everpresent sun. A series of valleys wind cut through the sandstone plateau provide sanctuary from the sun and heat.

Glass Sea

Sunward the sands become molten under the constant sunlight.

Shifting Sea

A sandy ocean that stretches between Yash'helenu and the Barbarian Canyons. It is plied by sand skiffs carrying trade between the two societies.

The Valley of the Faithful

Yash'helenu, or the Valley of the Faithful, exists in the thin band of habitable land on the tidally locked world between the Glass Sea and the Wall of Storms.

Bright Basin

In the sandy basin between the Fireshield and Shade mountains the herder population constantly moves from Sietch to Sietch in search of fodder and water.

Ibzzar'Yashen

To the north of the Bright Basin is the Golden Path to Nexus. Around it is the city of Ibzzar'Yashen. Repeatedly a colonial outpost for the Nexus Powers — Baeon, Duranti, or Val'Dorath — eventually the Faithful took control of the city to control access to their resources. The city doesn't fit into the laws handed down by the Cube of Law, so it exists in a legal gray area causing repeated conflicts.

The Sietches

Rocky outcroppings that dot the sandy basin, the Sietches purpose is to capture the moisture from the Eclipse Storms and purify it. The waters and fauna are maintained by Hazir Primalshapers so Casteless Herders can water and feed their herds as they move from Sietch to Sietch. The Hazir are the final authority on the Sietches and more than once those who would abuse the Sieches will find impassible cliffs instead of welcoming shade and grasses. The resonant caverns of the Sietches amplify the sound of the drashten horns to be audible for miles.

Fireshield Mountains

Shadeward of the Bright Valley the Fireshield Mountains are an active volcanic chain. The only known source of Adamantium Ore in the Civilized lands, the mountains are a warren of active mines. Unusually, the Fireshield Mountains are one of the few places on the Spheres where Slavery is tolerated because of the danger of the work and the legal limbo of people from off-sphere.

Shade Mountains

The Shade Mountains are a bulwark against the sunward heat and catches moisture traveling sunward during Eclipse Storms. A carefully managed territory under a regimented Caste system dictated by the Cube of Law, the population is strictly tracked to prevent overexploitation of the Shade Mountains' resources.

Cube of Law

Just beyond the furthest southward mountain of the Shade Mountains is the crater containing the Cube of Law. This holy relic contains all the laws defining the cultivation of the Shade Mountain, and commandments the Faithful observe.

Hallow of Blood

A mountain at the southern end of the Shade Mountains, the Hallow of Blood is one of two major sacred sites for the Faithful. All marriages, births, and deaths are recorded in the Hallow by the priestesses to keep track of bloodlines.

The Pilgrim Road

A series of outposts on the sunward side of the shade mountains. Typically populated by traveling pilgrims reenacting the Call to Law and those that protect them, the Pilgrim Road has spiritual significance but no consistent population.

The Shade Wall

To manage access and control trade, the Shade Mountains are bordered by a wall that runs the length of the mountain's shade. The High Caste of the Faithful maintain the wall and dictate who and what can pass through. Visas and complex paperwork are required to pass the well defended wall.

History

Lost in the Wilderness

Survivors of the Godswar were led to the Bright Basin by two individuals known as the Dunerunner and Cloudwalker. These two created the Sietches and founded the Primalshaper order of Hazir to manage and protect them. They remain as worshiped by the Casteless herders and venerated by the Hazir.

Call to Law

After centuries of occupation the Bright Basin and the Shade Mountains were on the brink of war. The people began to turn away from the Hazir, attempting to take the resources of the Sietches and ravage the Shade Mountains. Then the leaders of various bands began having visions. The visions called them to cross the Shade Mountains and walk the length of the sunward side. Some refused the visions, others crossed over the mountain at various points lengthening or shortening their journey. Upon reaching the end of the Shade Mountains, the people were astounded to watch as a new mountain rose from the sands of the valley. They found the mountain hollow, with food and drink waiting for them.

For three days they feasted, and on the fourth day an eclipse occurred with no Eclipse Storm. From the black disk came a falling star that crashed to the south of the new mountain. In the crater they found a perfect Adamantium Cube, each side covered with writing. As the words were interpreted they discovered each side repeated the same laws. But there were differences on each side. These laws dictated how to make the Shade Mountains flourish and how to worship three gods, the Lawgiver, the Bloodkeeper, and the Fatedealer. From each side the roles of the Castes of the Faithful were interpreted, their membership determined by how much of the pilgrim path they walked, or didn't walk.

The Faithful Era

United by the Cube of Law, the Faithful returned to the Shade Mountains and conquered them, driving out the bands of Casteless Herders who didn't follow the Call to Law. Following the laws the Castes were able to make peace between the bands of the Faithful and recultivate the shade holdings.

The Colonial Era

When Burning Sands was discovered by Duranti explorers the valley herders welcomed the new trade, and the Faithful had no basis in the Law for interacting with them so they were ignored. When Adamantium ore was discovered in the Fireshield Mountains Burning Sands became the prize of the Second Nexus Wars. As repeated waves of conquest to take control of the Adamantium mines spilled out into the valley the Faithful had to take action.

Founding Ibzzar'Yashen

Even though the Law doesn't speak to Offsphere people or controlling territory outside the Shade Mountains, to protect their interests the Faithful conquered the colonial outpost that surrounded the Golden Path to Nexus and the mines in the Fireshield Mountains. They created the Fortifications of Ibzzar'Yashen to control access to the valley. Before the colonial powers could respond, the Third Nexus War began. Desperate for Adamantium, they were willing to deal with the Faithful to keep access to it. Even though they had no basis in the Law to do so, the Faithful founded the city that surrounded the Fortifications and would control trade through the Golden Path.

The Caste Uprisings

As Ibzzar'Yashen developed, more and more lower and middle Caste Faithful emigrated to the city. Outside of the strictures of the Law they were able to develop wealth and power. Periodically the Upper Castes tried to enact laws limiting lower Caste abilities to accrue wealth or organize for better conditions. But they resulted in uprisings that led generally to incremental increases in the Lower and Middle Castes' power in the city. These uprisings seem to happen every few decades.

Government

The Faithful

Each holding in the Shade Mountains is controlled by high Caste families, their borders dictated by the Cube of Law. They rule over the lower Castes in accordance with the Law, supported and monitored by the priest Caste. The Laws are clear, strict, and generally dictate everyone's place in the Shade Mountain society.

Ibzzar'Yashen

Ibzzar'Yashen is a much more fractious place, where the Castes are in greater conflict than anywhere else. Trade with Nexus means wealth flowing into the city. The Fatedealer takes precedence over the other two gods within the city's walls as rising fortunes can mean more prestige and marriage into higher Caste families. The Castes intermix more in the city than the Shade Mountains where a person only interacts with a person one step above or below their station. As well, the people are exposed to foreign ideas and philosophies which put pressure on the traditions of the Faith. Initially Ibzzar'Yashen was governed by an administrative council of middle high Caste and lower high Caste members. But as the importance of the city increased, so did the scope and power of the administrative council. As a result of the the Caste Uprisings a Middle and a Lower council was created as advisors to the administrative council, colloquially called the Noble Council.

The Casteless Herders

The Casteless Herders are extended family groups that have an elder that acts as leader, administrator, and judge of the band. But their authority doesn't extend beyond the group, so their tools for enforcement are limited. For larger conflicts they rely on the Hazir to adjudicate conflicts between groups. The groups are independent of each other and rarely collaborate due to never coming together in one place.

Religion

The Faithful

The Faith is dedicated to the three gods — The Lawgiver, the Bloodkeeper, and the Fatedealer — as laid down on the Cube of Law.

Lawgiver

The Lawgiver dictates all aspects of the faith. Each side of the Cube of Law holds the laws for the upper, middle, and lower Castes, as well as how the Faithful interact with the Valley Bands and the structure of the priesthoods of the three gods. Priests of the Lawgiver administer and maintain the crater containing the Cube of Law

Bloodkeeper

As it is a Caste society the Bloodkeeper dictates an individual's position in the Castes. Caste membership passes matrilineally, and the priestesses of the Bloodkeepers bless or reject marriages taking into account of the best interests of the family and Caste. The Blookeeper's priesthood administers and maintains the records of marriages, births, and deaths of all the Faithful within the Hallow of Blood

Fatedealer

The Fatedealer is the God of fortune, allowing people blessed by the them to move up and down the Castes through accrual of wealth and prestige channeled into advantageous marriages.

The Hazir

Created by the Dunerunner and Cloudwalker, the Hazir are Primalshapers who maintain the sietches and act as a pseudo-priesthood for the Casteless Herders. As there is no way to tell time by the movement of the sun,the Hazir are also responsible for timekeeping. Using waterclocks and magic the Sietches will let out syncronous horn blasts precisely on the Drash.

Totem Worshipers

In the Barbarian Canyons, each tribe holds a totem that represents the spiritual center of the tribe and the reservoir for their souls. The tribe is centered around the totem and Pactmages are able to channel power from them.